DFS Alerts
Andy Dalton officially ruled out for this week
Any hope of a miraculous Dalton return is now gone as the team has announced that he is out for Saturday’s game against the Steelers. His backup and current starter, AJ McCarron, is an interesting GPP play at a reduced price point against a Steelers defense that has been one of the most vulnerable in the league to the pass.
As reported by: Paul Dehner Jr.
DeAngelo Williams misses another practice Thursday
He probably doesn’t have to practice in order to play, but it’s still looking like DeAngelo Williams is very doubtful to suit up against the Bengals. Fitzgerald Toussaint should draw the start with Jordan Todman helping out in relief, while the passing game will take on more of the burden against a Cincinnati defense that stifled them in two games earlier this season.
As reported by: Ray Fittipaldo Other tagged players: Fitzgerald Toussaint, Jordan Todman
Peyton Manning will start at QB for Broncos next week
This news was kind of expected after Manning took the field last week, especially with the Broncos having a week off. While Brock Osweiler performed admirably and Manning has struggled at times this season, this has to be considered good news for a struggling Broncos offense. Peyton won’t be a particularly appealing DFS option next weekend, but it remains to be seen who he’ll face off against.
As reported by: Field Yates on Twitter DeAngelo Williams still in a walking boot
DeAngelo Williams remains in a walking boot on Wednesday and there still isn’t a definitive timetable for when it may come off. It’s looking more and more likely that Williams won’t be able to play this weekend, which will lead to Fitzgerald Touissaint drawing the start with Jordan Todman acting in a complementary role. Toussaint is the stronger play of the two, but the Steelers passing game is the unit to target despite them having two down performances against this defense earlier in the year. Ben Roethlisberger still has one of the highest floors/ceilings among all QBs taking the field, and Antonio Brown remains the premier play at WR. Martavis Bryant is a very nice bounce back candidate after a few down weeks.
As reported by: Aditi Kinkhabwala Other tagged players: Fitzgerald Toussaint, Jordan Todman Steelers need Martavis Bryant to step up in WC Round
After playing just 14 snaps and finishing with one catch for zero yards, Martavis Bryant is a nice bounce back candidate in the first round of the playoffs. He’s been more or less called out by Ben Roethlisberger (who has played through a ton of injuries) in regards to leaving Sunday’s game early with a neck strain, and hopefully that’ll act as a wake-up call for the Steelers best deep threat. Bryant came on really strong in the middle of the season and continued on his hot streak until the last few weeks of the regular season, but he should be a huge part of the Steelers game plan if DeAngelo Williams isn’t able to play. He’s set to match up with Dre Kirkpatrick for most of Sunday’s game, and Kirkpatrick happens to be one of the lowest-graded PFF CBs this season. He’s especially had trouble with the deep ball, which is Bryant’s calling card.
As reported by: Jeremy Fowler Jeremy Maclin doesn't practice Tuesday
Maclin is dealing with a hip issue that he picked up in Sunday’s game, but it does not appear to be anything serious enough to keep him out of this weekend’s tilt with the Texans. He came down hard on his hip against Oakland but was able to finish the game, which seems to indicate it’s minor. Maclin is a very nice mid-range target at WR this week given the small slate and the lack of pass-catching options behind him in KC. Houston does boast a solid trio of corners, but Maclin should avoid Jonathan Joseph’s coverage most of the game – per PFF, Joseph has only played 5% of his snaps in the slot, while Maclin runs about a third of his routes out of that position. Maclin lines up in various spots throughout the game, as he hasn’t played more than 36% of his snaps at any given WR position.
As reported by: Terez Paylor Marshawn Lynch will practice Wednesday with hopes of suiting up Sunday
It’s looking very much like Marshawn Lynch will be back in the fold for the Seahawks on Sunday against the Vikings. Seattle has made due with a combination of Thomas Rawls, Christine Michael, Bryce Brown and Fred Jackson in Lynch’s stead, but Beast Mode will take back the reins as the lead back on Sunday. Christine Michael appears to have edged out Bryce Brown for the backup role, but that doesn’t entail more than 3-4 touches normally since Fred Jackson will still be in on passing downs. As for Lynch’s outlook this week, he’ll be a nice high-upside GPP target but may also be a cash game option due to the RB spot being very thin even considering the short slate. Outside of Adrian Peterson (who is in a tough spot himself), there aren’t any “safe” targets on the board. We’ll update Lynch’s practice status as the week wears on.
As reported by: @Seahawks Heath Miller is a nice Wild-Card weekend target
Heath Miller had another quietly productive year in 2015 but did a lot of his damage in the two games against the Bengals. Of his 81 targets, 23 of them came against Cincinnati (28% of his season target total), which is a glaring number considering Miller played in 15 of 16 games this year. 20 of his 60 catches came in those games (he had 10 catches in each game) and it’s fairly obvious that the Steelers see something in the Bengals defense that makes them vulnerable to the TE spot. The Bengals corners have played well this season (sans Dre Kirkpatrick) and a fairly strong pass rush may also lead to the Steelers employing more short passes in Miller’s direction. Regardless, it’s impossible to ignore Miller this week at cheap price tags across the industry. Jordan Reed is clearly a notch above Miller in terms of DFS outlook, but Miller is in the discussion with guys like Tyler Eifert and Travis Kelce this week. Given that Miller’s price tag sits a tier or two below Eifert’s and Kelce’s, he’s a viable target in any format if you aren’t paying up for Reed. The fact that DeAngelo Williams is unlikely to play on further increases the value of the Steelers passing game.
DeAngelo Williams day-to-day but unlikely to play Saturday
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated that Williams is day-to-day with a foot injury and that the team is preparing for Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman to carry the load on Saturday against the Bengals. It’s a situation best avoided for DFS against a tough Bengals defense as the Steelers are likely going to have to air it out to have any chance at winning, especially if Williams is unable to go. We’ll update Williams status over the course of the week.
As reported by: Ed Bouchette on Twitter Andy Dalton has cast removed, still doubtful to play this week
Andy Dalton has had the cast removed from his hand but is still unlikely to play this week against the Steelers. Head Coach Marvin Lewis did, however, leave the door open that there is a chance Dalton would take the field. We’ll update you on Dalton’s status over the course of the week as the situation becomes clearer. A.J. McCarron will get the start against a Steelers defense that is very vulnerable to the pass if Dalton can not go.
As reported by: Jim Owczarski on Twitter Tom Brady dealing with high ankle sprain, still expected to be fine for playoffs
Tom Brady is dealing with a high ankle sprain but is still fully expected to play in the Patriots first playoff game in two weeks. The bye week gives him a nice opportunity to rest and there doesn’t appear to be any doubt at this point regarding his status. Brady has played through worse in the past and he’ll do everything in his power to be out their during the playoff run. It’s very likely that he doesn’t do much practicing in the near future, and we’ll update his status as the Patriots first playoff game inches closer.
As reported by: Albert Breer Bengals preparing to start A.J. McCarron vs. Pittsburgh
It’s looking very much like Andy Dalton won’t be available for the Bengals first postseason game, which means A.J. McCarron will likely start against the Steelers. It’s obviously a hit to the value of guys like A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert, but McCarron’s presence hasn’t totally diminished their fantasy value, especially considering the short slate we’ll be working with next week. The Bengals running backs will be tough to target against a stout Pittsburgh run-defense, but A.J. Green still remains a viable GPP option against a Steelers defense he dropped lines of 11-118-1 and 6-132-1 against in two meetings this year. Eifert is also very much in play at a thin TE spot.
As reported by: ESPN Other tagged players: Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert Todd Gurley inactive for Week 17
This was expected after Gurley (toe) was listed as doubtful. Tre Mason will get the start for the Rams as they travel to San Francisco. The 49ers are ranked #29 vs. RB’s in DvP rankings, making for a nice match up for Mason who is cheap across the industry.
As reported by: Jim Thomas Other tagged players: Tre Mason
Michael Floyd active for Week 17
As expected, Michael Floyd is active for the Arizona Cardinals as they fight for home-field advantage against the Seattle Seahawks. In their Week 10 match up Floyd had 7 catches for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Seahawks and has had a consistent volume of targets, receiving 8 or more targets in 6 of the last 7 weeks (8, 9, 2, 12, 9, 8, 8). Michael Floyd should have a nice match up, running the majority of his routes against Deshawn Shead – rated as PFF’s 5th-worst in coverage, though the Seahawks do come into Arizona ranked #7 vs. WR’s in DvP rankings.
As reported by: Kent Somers Martavis Bryant active for Week 17
As expected, Martavis Bryant (illness) is active for the Steelers’ must-win Week 17 match up with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland comes in ranked #22 vs WR’s in DvP rankings and will be without their top corners – Joe Haden and Tramon Williams. After receiving 7 or more targets in every game this season, Bryant only logged 3 targets in a Week 16 dud, causing some recency bias which could bring his ownership down some.
As reported by: Pittsburgh Steelers